The Sun. — London, England, 1838-04-25 00:00:00

•Sre heavenly tempered. We have received them straight from the skier, and to the skies we mean to hand them up again, when ese shall have triumphed over the foes of humanity, and Ged s :that they may be kept safe for ever in the regalia of Heaven.—( Vehement cheering.) What is our present -position? The people of this country are with us—the ge nius of the land is with us—the religion of the land is with us; for whether we enter into the consecrated cathedral of the Establishment, where our thoughts are sent towards the West Indies by the beautiful and affecting prayer, " that it may please Almighty God to have pity on all prisoners and cap tives ;" or whether we enter the consecrated temple of that body whose religion is known to be that they are the friends of the oppressed, and the deliverers of those who are in bondage ; or whether we enter into the temple of the Baptist, and hear the preacher when his prayer is most fervent, when his faith is strongest, when his heart is largest and his prospects brightest, when the Gospel promises of God are poured forth, and a tear is eland over the miseries of mankind—whether we hear Coe Bap tist preacher transfer the eye of his mind and the feelings of his heart to the West Indies, or whether we enter the chapel of the Wesleyan, with his schools, and stations., and improve ments in the West Indies—or whether we p., into the chapel of the Independent —or whether we enter the chapels and in stitutions of the Moravians, sti','t we find Christians of all sects, whatever strife there may be in matters of politics, one in heart, and one in desire, aeid one in their determination, never to pause in the career of. humanity, until the genius of Chris tianity and the euard'tai e angel of right, and law, and holy liberty, hand in ' hared, walk through our colonies, scattering blessings upon all, of whatever colour or clime, or complexion. —( Cheers.) Are the West Indians with us?—they are, and all their 'interests are with us. Antigua is with us; Monte serrat is v ith us ; and Bermuda is with us ; Lord Sligo is with us, and wherever justice has been done the negro has been attaches(' and grateful—industry has abounded—the colony has been enriched, and the plantations flourished.—( Hear, hear. ) It has been well ascertained that the cane can be planted, hoed, reaped, crushed, chrystallized, packed, and exported, without slavery. Why are we, then, here to-day ?—( Hear. ) tlave we despaired in times that are past? Nothing of the - kind. The question has engaeed the attention of the country for the last twenty years—it has e long been foremost in the thoughts of this Christian people, and Canning exerted his splendid eloquence and genius in the House of Commons, in demonstrating the necessity of mitigating the horrors of slavery in our West India Colonies.—(Cheers.) In 1832 this nation was everywhere aronsed—you could not traverse a district rebere the elective franchise had been extended—and in that year it had been extended to about two millions of our fellow .subjects—you could not that year traverse a district, whether it was in the peaceful vales of Scotland or the ma nufacturing districts of England whether it was the polite cities of the western coast, or the mining districts a Cornwall—you could not traverse a district in which you 'would not find a tongue speaking, a pen writing, or a hand exerting itself in the cause of slavery emancipation.--( Cheers. ) Then again, during the second agitation, the country was roused to an unparalleled extent. We once thought it well if we could fill the Freemason's Tavern; we then thought it better if we could fill Exeter Hall; but in 1838, Exeter Hall e pith its rest capacity, was not one-third large enough, and t'n e halls , and the stairs, and the lobbies, and the lower ror ees , and the pavement, and the middle read, and the region 'sound shout, were crowded with those who desired to be pr 'sent at the meetiug, where once again we made known the: nsgro's wrongs. and once again we stood pledged to snap ) eis fetters. --( Cheers.) Wby then are we here to-day ? Have. we confined ourselves to mere declamation, and have we given no shape, form, or body to our movement? We have. - We have drawn together and concentrated the wisdom and fnresight, the sym pathies and energies of the land, and these: have been demon strated in petitions, in meetings, in delegates going up 400 at a time to the head of her Ma . ;,esty's Government—in endless petitions, filling the arms, hearing down the table, and occu pying the time of Members of the House of Commons. We have memorialised the Throne itseif—the word was spoken to the temsles, and 690,000 strong they appeared in loyal and earnest address before the Maiden Queen of these realms to beseech her so exert her Royal Prerogative on beh,ilf of her unhappy sisters in the colonic s.—(Great cheering.) Have xhe Members of the two Houses of Parliament been left in ignorance? No. They have been waited for in the lobbies —waited for before they were up—caught in the public high ways—called out of the House of Commons—written to in pamphlets, sent to them in envelopes and without enve lopes—arrnsted, no matter in what direction they went, they could not flee from the genius of humanity.--( Loud and long continued cheering.) Were they rusticating at a sea port town, they wore found out —were they at the Melton-hunt, /hey were found out there—were they at Stroud or Tiverton, at Bridgwater or :Manchester—(Hear, hear)—vrcre they snugly ensconced behind the green doors and easy chairs, and acid the mpterions arcane cf Downing-street—( Much laughter--)--they were found out even there. Did they hope that pretty apologies, private interviews, and fair answers would sntisfy them—trey were mi,taken. They were sum moned into the largest room in the Foreign-office, and there surrounded by 400 men, whose coentenances could not be in terrogated without fi..ding there the reply that they were irate to the heart's cues—firm is adamant, strong in purpose and in moral power, and that they would never faint in the pur sedt of justice until they had grasped the substance and for- ' gotten the mockery. —( Loud arid continued cheering.) Why, then, are we here to-diiy ? Why do any oppose us ? The sympathies of mankind are with us—the pravers of the pious are with US—the groans and the sighs of the captive arc with us—the judgment and justice of the men of the West Indies are with us —all parties in the state are found to be on our side—never was tit ,re so glorious a demonstrarion of public feeling on any other occasion. —( Cheers.) Taking all the circumstances into cen,ideration, that it is not a case which affect.; our own priva'e or political interests, or civil privileges at home—that it is not one which affects us behind our coun ters or in our warehouses, hut one diet real gets the distant disfranchised, defenceless, and sable victim": of oppression— how then is it that we are hcre to-day? That is a simple question, and I blush to state the reason—it is that although the country is with us the cabinet is against Us.— ( Loud cries of " Shame.") Why they have acted thus upon the question I cannot tell—why they struck such a bargain with the West Indians in 1833, and with reckless haste and boundless predi ality, diseni ding common sense, while dealing with men known to be rogues, with nn overweening confidence, absolutely as much as the tradesman would not place in the most hottest of their customers, among the gentlemen and ladies •f Bath. Hoer they did all this I cannot tell. But they allowed all the piled up heap of tw en ty m illi ons o f gold to be dissipated, an I go from whence there is no resur rectien, into the bott o mle ss pit o f the p oc k e t s o f t h e W e India planters.—(G rea t c h eer i ng .) I cannot te ll w h y t h did this—l cannot tell why they treated Mr. Jer e my as th e did—why they permitted him to ling e r a s h e did upon o shores when he came here to give evidence as t o t h e s t ate the Mauritius, and filially se n di ng hi m ou t an d ma ki ng t h abolitionists pay the exp ense o f hi s a pp l i n t ment, a l t h oug h carne as the negro's friend, and b esoug ht th em i n behalf of tle oppressed negroes—why they so l ong d en i e d to Mr. Fow Buxton a Perliamentary Committ ee , I can tell. Wray the treated Lord S!igo so improp er ly, an d b y a tr i c k b roug h t h i home, I cannot tell. Why th e y con fi rme d the suspension o and ultimately dismissed Dr. Palmer, one of the most upright and humane men that ever filled the situation of Special Justice, I cannot tell. Why, when Mr. Sturge came b_fore them, and for, I believe, seven days gave evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons, that evidence was sent out to the planters of Jameica, while it was denied to the man that gave it, I cannot tell. Why they have defeated the hop- a, and despised the prayers of the nation—why they have mocked that, fettered slaves with the semblance cf freedom—why, they have descended to equivocation and denial, and contradiction; and accusation, I canaut tell. Are we their enemies ? No ;. Are we here to publish our political creed ? No. I who have been for seven years the unceasing advocate of th e! negro, h ive never made one political spe ec h, and I leave as town and its inhabitants to wonder at what I am.—( Flearo hear.) But thus far I will say on behalf of many. I know that we are not the enemies of the present Administration._ e (Cheers.) Has our language been respectful ? It has., Has our deportment been gentlemanly ? I hope it hits. Arse we an immoral faction of the community ? Are we the blood., suckers of the human race ? Have we our houses built with. unrighteousness? Does the money in our pockets smell of negroes' blood ; or are our names found in those three volumes. among those who have been bought off from crime ? Among those. who have sold to the nation the nation's injured subjects ? No. For morality, for piety, for loyalty, the abolitionists of this empire will compare with any holy confederacy which was evert embarked in a holy cause from the time Moses led the chil dren of Gosham out of Egypt down to the present hour.--.." ( Much cheering.) What were the arguments of our oppo nents? We find them in the " Edinburgh Review," got up , by a person named Scadding, a clerk in the Colonial Office, i wise, by picking out extracts from the Government despatches,; here and there, attempts to throw dust in the eyes of that people of this country, and thrusts it into the buff and blue.i repository of Sawney philosophy, and fudge.—( Roars ofi laughter.) There is plenty of argument—no lack of it. I shall not go the West India side of the House—l shall not go to Mr. Gladstone with his seventy-nine thousand pounds in his right hand, as seventy-nine golden reasons why he should plead against us—and, no doubt, he is sincere. Wnat can , you expect there but the thing you might have expected and prophesied ? Ho has had no further reasons to offer, since the Castle of Indolence, the Paradise of Guaiana was conjured up before the wondering eyes of this country, by the wizard wan] of Sir John Carmichael Smith, and John Ewart Gladstone—for all those have been dissipated and the chain dissolved by the potent words of John Scobel in Exeter-hall—(Great applause)—and if any one read his speech, they would wonder at themselves for having been de luded into the belief that not a county in this kingdom could compare with Guiana, the favoured residence of 83,000 negroes. And what did the Government say? We ought to to have had all sorts of arguments from the Cabinet which comprises all sorts of men. Some of them have written on political economy, as, for instance, Poulett Thompson and Poulett Scrope—one has written on the British Constitution who goes by the name of Lord John Russell—(a laugh)._ others are refined scholars and gentlemen, as Lord Palmers ton, Lord Glenelg, and Company. We ought to have good arguments from them, and especially because they felt them selves bound to accomplish this good work, they ought to have good argument to support it. " The apprenticeship,"' says Sir 0. Grey, and two nights laterechoes Lord J. Russell, '° tae the whole"—it was the apprenticeship not without some drawbacks—" works nicely—kindness is the rule, and cruelty the exception, and you might as well charge the atrocities of' Mother Brownrigg upon all our matrons, as cruelty on all our West India planters."—( Hear, and a laugh.) "On the , whole," says my Lord Melbourne, " the apprenticeship works :. well, and it would be unwise and dangerous to disturb it." Then again Sir G. Grey says, "the public feelin.galthough strong and ; annoying, yet it has been created by (else statements." You have practiced frauds on the public meetings you have held. I deny the truth of the allegation. He says "you have got toge ther in Exeter Hall some warm-hearted and credulous people, and you have instilled into their minds false notions, and stirred them up with bitterness against the planters, who are all, all honourable men."—Argument the second. And then comes the great gun, the strongest of those giant arms of objection to immediate emancipation, and it is this—the aboli tion of the apprenticeship would be a breach of a very solemn compact, made, I believe, in the dead of the night, to give more dread to this tremendous Bill—a solemn compect in the same diSastrous hour, entered into between the Government and Parliament on the one hand, and the planters on the other. The Government say that they cannot advocate the abolition of the apprenticeship system, because it would be injustice to the party with whom they contracted a solemn and binding engagement. So says Mr. Gladstone—so says Sir George Grey—so says Lord John Russell—so says Lord Melbourne— and so says Lord Glenelg ; and then Lord John Russell gets up—l cannot say what it was that seemed to disturb the equanimity of his temper, for I generally observe that he is in great need of it—but on the 13th of last month he seems to have been agitated in no ordinary degree, and to have been troubled with a fit of dyspepsia or gout, whether in the stomach or the toe I can't tell, but he very angrily exclaims, " There is an effort to intimidate us—it seems we are to be goaded on with this movement out of doors—that it is only necessary that a certain number of peti tions should be laid on the table—that a certain number of signatures should be attached—that a certain number of meen_ bers are to be canvassed, and won over, and then the, r ant stitution of the country is to be set at nought, justice to. a great and honourable class of men is to be thrown aside., and these objects propounded in public meetings, no matte; how absurd and unconstitutional, must be carried. We neuet not yield— we will not yield"—and his Lordship was :;peered loudly by the Conservative side of the House. Tremendous cheering ! 'The Conservatives cheering Lord Job - .a Russell for his decla ration denouncing opposition and defying a Russell agitation ! —(Great laughter.) But there is another argument. Oh ! say they, think on the interests Ott' the planters—you would not annihilate the interests of the Planters. These are their arguments, for I have looked thr ough the debate, and they are the strongest I can find ; that the apprenticeship, on the whole, has worked well ; that the pu'olie excitement has been created by exaggerated and false staaements ; that the abolition of the apprenticeship would be a 'tereach of the contract ; that they were threatened with intie e id a ti on , an d th e y o ug ht not, and would not yield ; and t' ,at the interests of the planters re quired the continuance ?or at least two years of the apprentice ship system. I weed not take up these as they stand. I shall say a few words, however, upon the first. With respect to the working mail of the system, and it is a singular proof of its having tvotised so well, that we have a Bill of Amendment, absolutely rescinding, or abrogating, or essentially altering, nearly all the main provisions of the Imperial Act, and yet the apprenticeship, on the whole, has worked well. Let us now put Lord Glenelg in the witness box, and see what evidence he will give upon it.—( Hear, hear, hear.) Lord Glenel,g, stand up and answer a few questions to these Ladies and Gentlernen—( Hear, hear)--and I shall now give you his own words. Ibis Noble Lord—a Minister of State, and therefore a cautious man ; a Christian, and therefore a veracious man ; a gentleman of honour, and therefore a can did man ; a reluctant witness, a friend of the planters, and therefore so much the more valuable to me, if I can get any thing nit of him. My Lord, do you believe the negro has a right to freedom, as a Minister of the Crown ? " Oh, yes." These are his own words. The Government acknowledges the right of the negro to freedom; thank you for that, my Lord. We get over a world of difficulty when we establish the right of these men to freedom; because if they wero cul prits, or maniacs, or minors, or idiots, they might not have a right to freedom. But the Government acknowleges that the great body of the negroes have a right to freedom. Have they, since the first day of August, shown a fitness for freedom ?—( Hear, hear.) They have exhibited great pa tience, docility, and forbearance, in the state of transition they have undergone ; and they have exhibited great calm ness, mingled with extreme gratitude to the British people. Would the negro work for hire ? Oh ! yes, he is willing to work for hire—shall we take the question up, er leave it to the Colonial Assemblies? By no means, there is nothing to hope from the Colonial Assemblies. Has the law concerning classification been complied with? So far - as Jamaica is con cerned there has been much confusion. Has the eight hours system which you sanctioned indirectly, and about which the less that is said the better, worked well ? The eight hours system has precluded the negro from the indulgence granted him by the Imperial law for cultivating his provision grounds on the half of Friday, aid leaves him but the refuse of the day for raising the necessary supplies. What think you of the workhouse system ?—( Hear, hear hear.) As my Noble and Learned Friend Lord Broughem has dwelt upon that subject, I will not enter upon more sad scenes on which it is impossible for the mind to dwell without horror. What is your opinion of the efficiency of the special :magistrates ? The magistrates have most improperly inter fered with the system, _ isl created a general annoyance, quite `sufficient to defeat the purpose for which they were appointed. Have any difficulties been thrown in the way of manumission ? The apprentices have been over-valued. Have the indul gences during slavery been continued? No. Now the mothers ere refused permission to attend their children, even though they he in a dying state, and old age 13 exposed to the t same hardships as the confirmed strength of manhood. What is your Lordship's opinion also of the flogging of women? The act which forbids women from being flogged has been set at defiance—the system has been continued by the injustice and the revenge of their former masters up-n the unhappy slaves—the ingenuity of man has been exerted to devise tor tures and cruelties which have been inflicted in the House of , Correction. A class of men have been selected for that pur pose who ought not to have been chosen—convicts for life— men dead to all sense and feeling of humanity—these men did hot refuse to apply the lash to females. Have I gone through the catalogue of evils? No—there are many ether !defects to he removed, and it is very difficult to know bow to dA with them. The evil feeling generated by a long coerce tof wickedness still rankles in the breasts of these men, and !they now have recourse to worse instruments than be fere in the height of their licentious barbarity.—( Hear, hear. ) iAnd yet on the whole, says Sir George Grey, with a few in leonsiderable drawbacks, the apprenticeship system works very jwall— don't disturb it—it would be unwise, inexpedient, and (dangerous to do so. Here again we have a charge of false bed exaggerated statements ; but where did we get them ? tOut of these blue books—out of James Williams's narrative ; nd with respect to that narrative what was the report sent in y Messrs. Dantry and Gordon, the Commissioners appointed test its accuracy ?—that the statements were confirmed by n alraost unbroken chain of convincing testimony. Y ou ave calumniated the planters, says Sir George Gr e y—y ou ave meat unwarrantably attacked the charact e rs of a n h ones t, pright, and humane body of men. .If we have thus si nne d, it i s good company. if lam a libeller, Mr. Blair is one.— Hear, hear.) My respected friend, Mr. Bevan, is one ; Lord ligo is one, and yet he is a planter. Let any man rea d the aim and temperate statement of the Governor of Jamaica nd Chairman of the Nest India Association, now published, hit his own name attached to it, under the title of " The Ap renticeship System of Jamaica, by a Proprietor," and then to you will see that so far from exaggeration on our parts, we have not reached the evil—so far from having scanned its length and breadth, we have been but playing on it: borders. [Mr. Thompson here read an extract from the publication in question, for the purpose of showing the opinion of Lord Sligo upon the present system.] On the subject of hospitals hat was his testimony ? lou all know what hospitals mean re, and what they don't mean—they are not pig-styes—they e not bashes—they don't mean slaughter-houses—they don't can brothels—they don't mean confined pestiferous places, here the inhabitants sleep on dry boards without clothes, and ith open vvindotes—they don't mean dungeons, in which th e tin of the dieeesed are put into stocks—they don't mean th e - blieation of being locked up during 24 hours, except w h en a ierTel may el, in admittance to him who is v i s i te d b y od, or suffering under a painful and protracted disease-- o. They are 'large, well. aired, and comf or t a bl y fi tte d up ; nanted by kind sympathising nurses, attended by s kilf u l an d *mane physicians; and you often see treading witliino its ails the pious visitor, the indefatigable clergyman, pointing at place of rest of unspotted purity, and e ver l as ti ng lib erty, hich remains in heav en . —(Ch eers .) C o :Tare a Somerset ire Hospit a l with one i n J ama i ca . [M r . Th omson h ere 1 ad an extract fr o m Lord Sli go ' s p am phl e t, re l at i ve to t h e treatment of the sick in the hospitals of Jamaica, and pro ceeded.] Oh what a refinement of cruelty—what diabolical ingenuity l Here we see that while Mr. Borthwick was telling us of four-post bedsteads, well-stored cellars, mahogany, sideboards, silver candle :ticks, gay apparel, horses worth 401. a-piece, and assuring us that the best plate of soup and the must delicate bit of the joint were carried, not by the negro, hut by the fair hands of the sympathising wife or daughter to the hospital, that absolutely iu Jamaica the greatest crime of which a man or woman can be found guilty is suffering disease under uAomlee the rsiteat,hisae v lyg i l s i i vt t she a hon t o io sueo n lfasu o ow f ffna(e God lrikng . —( Loud cries of " Shame!") In about t womanhe most w and ho painful wi an injure u found oe u nt hd disease eiiyr int areihealth.n lockeda heap A n instance of her own filth, and her own daughter sat for hours at the door imploring in vain for permission to be locked up with her dis eased and dying mother in order to attend and clean her ; and yet, says Sir George Grey, the excitement is got up by exaggerated and false statements, and he most clearly and une quivocally intimates that we are a race of calumniators. Well, if so, we are in company with Lord Sligo—with Joseph Sturge—with the report of the Select Committee—and this very Bill, which I now hold in my hand, states that the former allowance from the negro was taken away, and in fact the abuses were so intolerable, and such was the nature of the evidence offered by Lord Glenelg's Bill itself, that it appeared not a single provision of the Imperial Act had been complied with. Yet in the face of all this we are charged with being guilty of false statements; and what says Sir George Grey and his colleagues again with respect to the compact ? He says the abolition would be a breach of the solemn contract entered into between this country and the planters. lam one of those who deny the existence of any compact. I say that Parliament makes no contracts. Government may do so, and does make contracts for flannel, for soap, for soldiers' caps, for butchers' meat, for glittering bayonets, for cannon balls, for iron fetters for the negroes in the West Indies—Parliament only makes laws. This country demanded the emancipation of the negroes— they pledged their candidates at the hustings to support it, and then Parliament took the question up. Did they consult the West India planters? No. Did they consult them, when they resolved to have an appr en ti cs hi p system? No. It might have been an apprenticeship for twelve or for twenty years—it might have been for five, or four, or three, or two years ; or, if the Government pleased, there might have been no apprentice. ship at all. When they were taking into account the pro bable loss, did they consult the planters ? The planters had asked forty millions of money and twenty years ape prenticeship, but Parliament resolved to give twenty mil. lions and six years service ; and,, if they pleased, they might have given no compeneatio'.i at all. What they did was of their own sovereign will wed pleasure, in their capa city as an Imperial Parliament, an d if they find now that the Bill has not answered the end for which it was designed—that instead of benefiting the negro it has heaped wrong, and chains, and oppression, upon him--they are under no contract to continue the system, 'out bensre God they are under a solemn obligation to amend or abrogate the law—( Vehement cheering)—so says Lord Brougham, so says Lord Denman, and so says Mr. O'Connell, wham I mention merely as the friend of the negro.—( Hear, hoar.) Sir Edward Sugden said that there never was -so atrocious a breaking of the provisions of any Legislative Act before, and that case had been made ant to the whole extent of the right of the House to interfere for the pre vention of abuse and the brrnefit of the negro. Let the Ministers then hang themselves upon which horn of the di lemma they please—either thlere is a contract or there is not. If there is a contract it has been broken—their own Bill breales it. I miceeht go fro.sa clause to clause, like my friend Mr. Bevem, and show, not vs ith equal clear sightedness that every tlauee of that is a violation of the contract—it was roarended that if you abbreviate the apprenticeship you dept re the planters of their beneficial interests in the negroes. We ask the abbreviation of two years of the term of the ap prenticeship, arid upon what grounds? That of naked justice between man and man, because for years they have taken more than seven hours and a half of the negroes' time, and by their acts of cruelty and oppression they have got nine, or ten, and ten hours and a half work per day ; that to labour they have added insult, cruelty, deprivation of the hours of s relaxation, the horrors of the treadmill, confinement, making the wife linger in the field until the agony of the mother was upon her, and making her repay those very hours of agony to her unfeeling task-master. Therefore we say alleviate the remaining term—" the very head and front of our offending bath this extent, no more."—(Cheers.) We ask for two years freedom in lieu of four years oppression and slavery_ two years wages for four years of unpaid labour, of scorn, contumely, and proscription.—( Loud cheering.) We ask for two years of the chance of education and moral training, for four years of deep demoralisation and patient bondage. Do we ask too much ?—( Loud cries of " No, no, and hear.") It has been said that we are severe, unwarrantable and unjust, and that we should break the con tract by doing so. One of the provisions of the Act guaran teed to the planter the services of such children as came upon him for maintenance, and if the planter clothed or fed them, he had them indented to him for tvrentv-one years ; that after they would be able to work, they would repay back the sup port he had given them during the years of infancy. I always said that that was unjust not to the planters, but to the chil dren, and in this very room I denounced it in a moral sense, but not as the law of the country, because I considered it cruel and unjust, that the bloated planter should make the helpless child a slave for twenty-ene years, because he had given him a crust of bread or a rag of garment in his infancy. Who violates the contract now ? It appears by the 28th Clause of Lord Glenelg's own Bill, every one of those children, amounting to hundreds upon hundreds, no matter sow long they may have been maintained, are declared to be free on the 31st of July, 1840. Now here is a direct violation of a contract, and if they may violate it in regard of children, :nay I not ask on behalf of the mother or the old man, that ere he dies and goes before his Father's God he may be free. There is a law above all other laws—there i 3 a code above all other codes—there is a court above all other courts—there is a Prince above all other Princes, and in the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in the court of Heaven above, or at the foot of Mount Sinai on eavth, standing in the presence of God our Saviour— I say that any contract, any code, any law that countervenes the great fundamental principles of Christian morality, or tie immutable and eternal law of God, ought to perish and be swept away.—(Tremendous cheering.) They -vow that the negro has been robbed, but they cannot redress him—there is a contract in the way; that men have no right to give their labour for years without remuneration—but there is a contract in the way. The God of Heaven requires, and bleeding humanity implores you, to put au end to the cruelty and oppression which prevails—but there is a contract in the way.—( Cheers.) Who libels the country now ? I, who say there is no contracs, or the Government, who say they cannot go on one way or the other without stumbling over a broken contract t Let it be shivered and scattered to the winds of heaven—let us do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly before God, and say, perish contract, and live the law of God for ever. —( Applause.) So much for the third argument, and how much for the fourth. Lord John Russell says, " They are going to intimidate U 3 ; they are getting up public meetings, talking- to the lalies—( Laughter); they have twelve o'clock meetings in Bwh, evening meetings in the Assembly-reorne— full outside and in—they arc intimidating us.—( Laughter.) It won't do, they put me on my mettle. lam net to be cowed in this way. Then there is a crowd in the lobby of the House at night. There arc those parsons—gentlemen in shovel hats broad brims, and in fact there seems to be a portio n Of (Great laughter.) They are appealing to one member, they are coaxing another, whispering to a third, thrusting parn phleti into the pockets of a fourth, anxiety in their counee na•ecca, but firmness in their footsteps—it won't do, I sm not to be managed in this way ; they will met nothing from us by such doings as this."—( Great laughter.) " We must set our faces against it—we must stifle this agitation," says Sir Geo. Grey, and Lord John Russell, not quite so tall or so angry, gets up in his place and says, " Sir, this House must set its face against-every attempt to menace it into compliance with the popular will."--[Mr. Thomson in this passage so closely imi tated Lord John Russell's tone and manner, that the meeting Wes convulsed with laughter.] How well it comes from Lord John Russell, the great champion of religious liberty—and observe, lam only now alluding to his conduct—l am not dis cussing questions--how well it comes from the originator of the Reform Bill, the man who carried it through the House of Comm ms, the man who w hen he wanted Reform addressed the people, now from the dickey of a coach, now from the balcony of an inn, and again from his place in the House of Commons—( Cries of " Hear") —who when he wanted the basis of the Constitution extended, ind what he deemed the blessings of civil liberty poured more idt•ly forth on the deserving inhabitants of this country, said that the life, and worth, and energy of all great moral move ments, were to be found in the aroused, enlightened, gathered, directed voice of the public at large.—( Great cheering. ) Now, where is that declaration? Like another Frankenstein, he retreats from the Monster he has made. The very creature of his own begetting now follows him about, and which way soccer he turns is at his heels. Oh 1 wretched man ! and this is Lord John Russell. To be attracted by the pursuit of popular excitement on ordinary occasions—but when we turn that popu lar fee:ing to one of the most heavenward and upward - directions ever taken by the popular voice—it is too bad that he should :urn round upon us, and we will tell his Lordship so. They talked about consulting the interests of the p . ! en ters, but that had we been giving them, up to the present hour. In the first plade we have been paying into their pockets in the shape of bounty upon exported refined sugar 361,250/• per annum. It appears from the calculation of a gentleman initiated in the mysteries of the craft, that the monopoly tax upon sugar, which is 15s. per ton more than we ought to pay, amounts to 3,221,8651. per annum—that we are paying in the shape of an annual monopoly tax on 10,500 tons of coffee 535. more per hundred weight than we ought, amounting to 556,0001. per annum; an d then the naval and military establishments, the larger port ion of which would not he wanting if slavery was at an end, cost us at lelst 2,000,000/. sterling per annum. Add these together, and you will find that we have been c onsulting the interests of the planters at the rate of 6,139,615/. per annum. Sir George Grey wants to do justice to the planters, and sa)3, " Look at my Bill." We do not pay twenty mil lions of money to get rid of a little cruelty, but all—not that men and women should be flogged so much, but that they s'.iould not be flogged at all—that nothing should be modified, deteriorated, delayed, or postponed, for we paid 20,000,000/. for the entire, perpetual, and unconditional liberty of the negroes, and why should we take less ?—( Great laughter.) Lord Stanley, when the Act was in progress, said, " Only give them the cash, let them have the ducats, and you may depend on their fulfilling the contract." But, as the Rev. Mr. M‘Neile, I understand, said at Liverpool there has transpired what never entered the brain of the sweet bard of Avon, a modern Shy lock who has got his pound of flesh, and his ducats be sides. If this Bill goes out containing a series of indictments, charging robbery, incapacity, and every other offence, it is hard to suppose that they will be satisfied with the Bill were they quite sure that the Bill would convert those men, would it make those men the special Magistrates of Jamaica, become the honest inflexible champions of the negroes, and the persecutors of th.s planters? Men who ride their horses, dine at their tables, sing and dance with their daughters, and marry them too._(" Hear," and great laughter.) Do you not know, that seeing they were about to be put out of their stewardship, they are making friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that when they are put out, the planters may receive them into their houses.— ( Cheers.) When the Bill gets to the colonies, it will be hated just as much as ever. Would they cleanse the Augean stable ? Then their Bill was worth nothing at all. Lord Sligo tells you that he was twelve months at Spanish-town, and knew nothing whatever of the flogging of women, although it was going on every day, within 300 yards of his house. What do we want ? The only safe, simple, 1, c tteap , practica ble, easy, and universal remedy is LIBERTY, usarrv.—( Loud and long-continued cheering.) Say that even the present Bill could be carried out , are there n o other means o f ill treating the negro, than th ose p rohibit ed in the Bill ? C a n you not make him m iserable, without flo gg i ng or starving ? Will not looks, and tones, and insults make him mise rableainof receivingespass beyond th e bounds the lash—l ? Are there not thou sands o f acts to mak e th e wretched captive miserable , besides flo gging ? Wounding mutilating, starving, and imp risonin g . I as k , then, the same liberty o t of his the plantations n egr ask for him the same degree of libert y as the poorest pea sant. I might ask for compen sation, and there has been a wh undero may ayp not trespass s ile abuse of that word. No doubt, in the House of Com mons, no word was so loudly, or so largely used as the word compensation, but for whom? Was it for the negro? No. A friend behind me exclaims—thieves. " I thank thee Jew , for teaching me that word." It was for thieves. However, it is not always proper to speak the truth, but it was not given to , the cruelly injured—the really spoiled nation that poured out with personal prodigality 20,000,000/. to the planters—they did not give one penny to feed the hungry, to rear alms- Louses, or build up chapels and churches —they did nothing for the injured, hut banded over all the money to the plun derers, and to this hour if the negroes were made free for ever_ they have not received any compensation. When they talked so loudly of compensation let us bring the negro into view— when they bring the white man, the planter, the resident of Carlton-gardens, and the attendant at Almacks, I will bring the negro tortured, leporous, and lacerated, and let those who please talk of compensation to the bloated whiteman, and I shall ask N THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1835. for eompensation, in the name of justice and an offended God, for the fettered and injured slave.—(Tremendous cheer ing.) One or two remarks more, and I shall take my seat. No doubt in the House of Commons throughout the discus sion there was no feeling for the negro—no recognition of re ligious feelings or principlee—no respect for the hundreds of ithousands of petitioners—a complete indifference to the prayer of the nation, and only recognizing the maintenance of the in terests of the planters. Shame upon the men who did so ! .Shame upon the great, and otherwise noble men, who on that 'occasion stood forth, not as the champions of the oppressed-- mot as the vindicators of impartiality and the British Consti litution—.not as the exponents of English law—not as wishing rbbo found th e th rone o f t h e S overe i gn i n r i g h teousness an d j ust i ce , ut standing forwa r d t o d o th e b ase wor k o f t h e v il e st com ination that ever disgraced mankind. If I happen to be a slave, let me bow down to some despot—let my chains be in the midst of the bastile of France ; let me not be sacrificed to the demon of despotism at the horns of an altar dedicated to freedom, and bound by the high priest who worships at her shrine.--( Vehement applause.) What are we to do ? Go home and be quiet, says Lord John Russell—take my Bill and be thankful, says Lord Glenelg—confess yourselves calum niators, says Sir George Grey—do justice to the planters, says Mr. Gladstone —you shall have no emancipation, trays the House of Commons.—(Loud and continued cheering.) What are we to do ? Shall we disband our energies ? ( Hear, hear.) Shall we sing a dirge over our defunct abolition societies ? Shall we present petitions no more ? Shall we present memorials no more ? Shall we come to the footsteps of the Throne no more ?—( Hear, hear.) Shall we —may we—dare we—do this?—(Tremendous cheering.) Is the aspect Of our case changed since yesterday ? No. Are our pledges redeemed ? No. Are our promises fulfilled ? No. Is the law of God satisfied ? It is not. Are the expectations of the negroes realised ? No. Is free dom obtained? It is not. Is the national honour vindicated ? No, Then we are just in the position we were in five years ago. By every principle you then insisted on—by every pledge you then gave—by every act offensive to God and injured humanity which then we witnessed—by high Heaven I call upon you to day not to be dismayed by any thing that has occurred—not to be frightened by any votes of the House of Commons—not to be intimidated by the menaces and frowns of the Treasury Benches, but without calumniating men —without any motives of personal revenge or party feeling, bearing one with the another, keeping your sacred object right before you, gird up your loins and wield the sabre, and earnestly call on the God of the oppressed, and go forward and let the Cabinet and Parliament, which for a time has defeated the righteous object of the nation, know that the nation is again herself—that she is putting on her strength—and looking upwards to him in whose arms there slumbers Omnipotence, and who may soon look down from Heaven to Earth, saying, " I have heard the cry of my people under oppression —I am come down to deliver them, and I will rescue them out of the hands of their enemies." Mr. Thomson concluded his long and eloquent address amid loud and general cheering. The Rev. P. CATOR seconded the resolution. There was only one question he would ask the meeting, and that was what could he say more than had already been said in defence of the injured and oppressed negro.—(Hear.) Although he felt nothing but pain of mind at being selected to succeed the gentleman whose eloquent address they had just heard, yet he felt pride at being called upon to advocate such a cause under any circumstances. Lord Melbourne had said that, notwith standing the eloquent addresses of Mr. Thompson and Lord Brougham, and others at Exeter-hall—notwithstanding the meeting of Delegates and the crowded assemblies that had taken place all ever the country, that the apprenticeship system would come to a happy and auspicious termination. He envied not his Lordship his feelings at the burst of indignation with which such a statement was met.—( Cheers.) What mitiga tion would Lord Glenelg's Bill afford of the sufferings of the poor negro ? Nothing, or worse than nothing. It was only a pruning knife, instead of the axe, which should have been laid at the root of the evil that now cumbered the ground.—( Cheers.) The act would be hailed with the greatest contempt by the Colonial Legislature, and would be of not the sligktost avail in benefiting the condition of that unhappy race. They had all heard with delight the statement of the Noble Lord the Marquis of Sligo, that all his slaves should be manumitted on the Ist of August. Her Majesty, it was said, was about to make him a Duke, but even if she did not, he would have an ample reward in the heart-felt gratitude of his fellow country_ men.—( Cheers.) Ile would again urge them to continue their efforts unceasingly in behalf of the unhappy negroes; They saw the benefits of popular feeling and popular agitae tion in the case of the Dorchester labourers. They were transported by order of Lord John Russell, and he had the ot her day recalled them, saying that the people of England hal protested against the act, and he had been compelled to bow to public opinion.—( Vehement cheering.) Such would be the case with respect to the negroes, and ere long the jubi lee trumpet would proclaim liberty to the captive, and open the door to the prisoner and the oppressed.—( Great cheering.) The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Admiral GORDON moved the next resolution, and observed that the very able, eloquent, and heart-stirring addresses that h a d been made rendered it unnecessary for him to say much upon the question. There was one point to which he was anxious to call the attention of the meeting, and that was, that if all their petitions and remonstrances were unattended to, the result would be a struggle between the oppressed ne groes and their task-roasters. Every right-thinking man would of course deprecate so unfortunate an event, and that was one of the most powerful arguments that could be use in favour cf th e i mme di ate emanc i pat i on of the negro. H6l hoped the voice of the people would on this occasion be atL tended to by Lord John Russell, end that justice would be done to this unhappy and oppressed race.—( Much cheering.) Lord Sligo had stated before the whole of the constituted . authorities of the island of Jamaica, that they had violated the pledges tendered by them when they received the large sum of twenty millions from the people of England—that they had directly violated the Imperial Act in whipping females; and Sir Lionel Smith reiterated these charges against them, and pointed out to his successor the many instances in which they had done so The statements made by the Noble Marquis in the House of Lords, had powerfully influenced the ifrigments of the Duke of Wellington, the Bishop of Exeter, Lord Wbarncliffe, and others, who had come round to their view of the question, and had expressed their conviction that the planters had acted most cruelly and unjustifiably. And yet these Peers had formerly been the most strenuous advo cates of the interests of the planters. So far the discussion of the question had been attended with advantage, and he hoped they would persevere until they had obtained the un conditional freedom of the negroes.—(Cheers.) He should be guilty of a gross dereliction of duty if he did not mention another point which, whether arising from bigotry, prejudice, or whatever other circnmetanee, had been too much passed "or—he meant the exertions of the pious and zealous :Mis sionaries, to whose labours it was owing that so many conces sions had been made to the rights and claims of the slave Population.__( Cheers.) The resolution was seconded by ROBERT PERFECT, Esq., and carried unanimously. The Rev. J. MaRTYN, Wesleyan minister, moved the fourth resolution. He felt that at that late hour it would be im. Proper for him to trespass at any length upon their attention. He was gratified with the kind and very judicious allusion of the Gallant Admiral to the services of his brethren in miti gating the evils and hardships under which their enslaved fellow men so long laboured --( Hear, hear.) BASIL. MARRIOT, Esq. briefly seconded thp resolution, which was carried unanimously. Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the meeting separated. A sumptuous banquet will be given by the Gold smiths' COMT any on Saturda y next, at their splendid Hall, to the Duk e o f W e lli ng t on , Sir Robert Peel, Lord Lyndhurst, and a numerous party of Conservatives. HUSBAND AND WIFE.--CURIOUS CASE.—A case of some interest was decided in the Police-court, on Thursday by Sheriff Tait. A middle-aged woman with a child in her arms, was placed at the bar, charged with steal ing M. from a lock-fast drawer in the house of an old man named Grant. She pleaded guilty to having taken 21. and after the evidence of Grant, and before she left the witness box, sentence of imprisonment was pronounced against her, but as she was about to leave the bar, the Sheriff, with that kind heartedness for which he is distinguished, inquired into her circumstances, as to whether she was a widow, and to whom the child belonged, &c., when she stated, in rather a reluctant manner, that she had lived with Grant about sixteen years ago, and had children to him ; but within the last two or three she had been only residing Kith him occasionally. On the Sheriff inquiring if she went by the name of Mrs. Grant, and if she could bring neighbours to prove this, she answered in the affirmative ; but Grant stoutly denied that she was his w ife, or that she went under his name. The spectators in the Court, along with the Sheriff, by this time evinced much in terest in the case ; and while the woman was being further questioned, Sergeant Powell, the Court Crier, informed one of the clerks that Grant came into the office that morning inquiring for the woman under the name of Mrs. Grant. This being established to the satisfaction of the Sheriff, he decided the i ee question, and the woman, w h o was t h e moment b efore a felon, under conviction and sentence for theft, was discharged simpliciter from the bar, and held to be the wife of her accuser, to his no small astonishment and mortification.—Caledonian Mercury. ExTRORDINARY CASE OF HORSE -STEALING.-- On Monday, the 9th instant, Mr. R. G. Beart, a respectable gentleman residinc.. at Saham, i n N or f o lk , ro d e a valuable mare to witness the Rockland steeple chase, which took place on that day. On arriving at the place of starting, he found that no horses were allowed to enter the field, except those belonging to the parties eng age d i n t h e chase. Seeing a man near by, named Christmas Garwood, he alighted, gave his mare to him in charge, and walked to the starting place ; while he was engaged there Garwood rode away with the mare, and was not to be found. On Tue s d ay even i ng, the 10th instant, Garwood arrived with the mare at the Woolpack Inn, Col chester, and desired the ostler to bed her up for the night, and take particular care of her, as he had rode her seventy miles that day, and told the ostler that he wished to sell the mare, as ho had taken her in exchange for a pony the day before, offering the ostler at the same time a half sovereign if he would find him a customer. Garwood slept at the Woolpack that and the following night, and on the Thursday morning follow ing he went away, saying he should leave the mare till the following Saturday, when he would take her to the market for sale. Mr. Palmer, having previously entertained some suspi cion of his customer, refused to let the mare go away, and af terwards communicated his suspicion to Cant, one of the sergeants-at-mace, who I icked into his Hue and Cry, and there saw the announce tient of the robbery, with the descrip tion of the mare and Garwood; the mare, saddle, and bridle exactly corresponding with the advertisement. Garwood was apprehended and committed for trial. —Chelmqford Chronicle. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF Q UEEN'S BENCH, APRIL, 24. tionsi,viLL WILMAN. Mr. KELLY moved for n rule to show cause why the verdict given for the plaintiff, with one farthing damages, should not be set aside, and a new trial granted. He was compelled to make this application on account of a case which had recently been decided, and the effect of which he feared would render useless the intention of the Learned Judge who had tried this cause, and who, when the verdict was given, granted a certifi cate to deprive the plaintiff of his costs. This was an action of trespass, for breaking and entering the plaintiff's dwelling house. The defendant had taken a lease under a Mr. Offwood, who was himself the lessee of the Merchant Taylor's Com pany. The defendant undcrlet to one Worrell, and Worrall assigned his interest to the plaintiff, but in what manner the assignment was made did not distinctly appear. The plaintiff was in possession, and that was all that was proved as to his right to maintain the action. The jury gave only one farthing damages, and Lord Denman, who tried the cause, certified to deprive the plaintiff of costs. Mr. Justice LITTLEDALF. said the law must be the same in any future as it was in the former trial. The other Judges concurred. BAIL COURT. TIIE QUtSN V. SIIAW. Mr. BODKIN stated that in this case the Court had, on Sa turday last, granted a writ of habeas corpus to bring up a young man named Shaw, confined in Newgate on two charges of embezzlement. The prosecutors did not receive notice that any application had been made to the Court on the sub ject until after seven o'clock on Saturday evening, and had no previous notice that any such application was intended. They were not able to obtain office copies of the affidavits on which the writ was obtained until three o'clock yesterday (Monday) afternoon ; and, as they were extremely long, and contained statements of a most calumnious nature, relative not only to them but also to other persons, they were anxious to reply to them in the fullest manner possible; and in order to enable them to do so, they had instructed him (Mr. Bodkin) to apply to the Court to enlarge the return of the writ for a few days. Mr. CLARKSON objected to any further delay. Mr. Justice WILLIAMS said that it was impossible for him to form any opinion of the merits of the case, until he had read the affidavits on both sides ; and therefore he thought the ap plication on the part of the prosecutor was a reasonable one, and ought to be granted. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Arita 24. WILSON V. BENSON AND OTHERS. In this case, which was only in part heard yesterday, when our Reporter quitted the Court, the Court deferred its judg ment. CONSISTORY COURT, ArluL 24. COOD V. coon. This is a suit for divorce, promoted by Capt. Coed against Mrs. Cood, his wife. The facts were fully detailed when the arguments were heard during the course of last term. It will be remembered that on that occasion. the Learned Judge re scinded the conclusion of the cause, for the purpose of allowing the production of the affidavit of a witness who could swear as to the accuracy of the copy of the marriage register. The affidavit of this witness has been produced, and the Learned Judge pronounced for the sentence of divorce, as prayed for. No other business of public importance was transacted. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-Ii OUSE. A woman named Slabbington, was brought up, charged by her husband with having followed him in the streets and assaulted him. Mr. Stabbington said that his wife had of late given up all her domestic duties in favour of gin, and that she constantly persecuted him for money, which, the moment she got it, she converted into that mischievous compound. Mrs. Stabbington denied that her relish for gin was so pe culiar as had been described by her husband, and declared that the " little she did in that article" entirely arose from the vio lence of Mr. Stabbington, who regularly punched her eyes, so that it was good for sore eyes to see her with any eyes but black ones. They had separated by mutual agreement, and she only followed him for the amount of the pecuniary condition on which that compact was made. The LORD MAYOR—Why, Mr. Stabbington, sh© says that you beat her. Mr. Stabbington—Why, yes, my Lord, I have now and then given her a whop ; but I don't now, for it's no use.— (Laughter. ) The LORD MAYOR—Oh, you have beaten her, have you? She says that you have given her black eyes. Do you think that you can make her a kind affectionate wife by such treat ment? Mr. Stabbington—No, my Lord. I say it's no use. While I thought there was a chance I did, but I give her up now.--( Laughter.) Mrs. Stabbington—How many black eyes have you given me since Christmas ? Mr. Stabbington—Oh, that was all for getting drunk. Why, my Lord, it was only Saturday last she catched me with her fist right under the ear. It's hard lines for a respectable man that likes a quiet home to be punched about by a woman. Mr. nobler— Why, she is not your slave, Mr. Stabbington. If she punches you, you have taught her hog► to do it by prac tising upon her. Stabbington—Why, the fact is, it's no use beating her. rest laughter.) The LORD MAYOR said it was much better that such couple should be separated, particularly as he understood they had no children. Mr. Stabbington then, after the Lord Mayor's interposition agreed to make his wife an allowance, and she promised no! " to catch him under the ear with her fist" again. GUILDHALL. Yesterday Lord Teynham waited upon Mr. Alderman Magnay to offer some explanations relative to the Hon. Al gern'in Curzon, the young man who was brought up as a de serter on the precedingday, and who complained of being cruelly neglected and discarded by hi s f am il y . His Lordship - thought it a duty he owed to himself and his family, and particularly to his excellent son, the Hon. Sydney Curzon, to lay before the magistrate and the public the facts •f the case. His son Algernon Curzon (his Lordship said) was now 30 years of age. When his education was finished his Lordship obtained a situation for him from the late Lord Liverpool. It was in the Excise Office at Edinburgh, and produced 1801. a year. In one year he incurred debts to the amount of nearly 1,5001., and then ran away. With much exertion his Lordship obtained his reinstatement in his office ; but he ran away again, and had since led a dissipated life, harassing his friends, and particularly his brother, to whom he had acted basely in many ways. He had enlisted three times. Twice he was brought out of the regiment after he had deserted, the second time his brother Sydney taking upon himself the whole expense. He also fitted him out for the Spanish service, from which he deserted and squandered his outfit, and then enlisted again as a sergeant. His brother had paid several hundred pounds in fitting him out and meet ing his extravagances. Within the last fortnight he had by himself, and through his connections, given Algernon 261., the last 21. of which he received on Saturday afternoon, the day preceding that on which he gave himself up to the police as a much ill-used and utterly destitute man The Alderman would therefore sec that every effort had been made to save him from the evils which he had at last, by his own misconduct, brought upon himself ; and his family—and, least of all, his younger brother, Sydney—had nothing to reproach them_ selves with. Mr. Alderman MAGNAY suspected from the beginning, that the young man had greatly misconducted himself ; and he had no doubt the Newspapers which had published the report of the case, would give circulation also to his Lordship's ex planation. Lord Teynham apologised for the trouble be had given the Magistrate, and withdrew. Q UEEN. S QUARE. James Cain, a stout Irish labourer, was yesterday placed at the bar, charged with having stolen a feather-bed, a man's wife, and all his worldly chattels, leaving him two poor infants only as a legacy. Prosecutor, W. Walsh, a diminutive Irishman, said that the prisoner had his back shed, and that he and his wife occupied the front, and that the prisoner was accordingly their lodger, and slept by himself, and that he " robbed his bed." Mr. WHITE—How robbed your bed? He did not do it when you were in bed ? Prosecutor—Oh, no, your Worship I came home at night, and the devil a wife or bed either could I find. Mr. WHITE—Then he stole your wife a 3 well ?-Prosecutor —By my soul you've hit it, your whorship ; and he stole a box. Mr. Wnirit—What did the box contain ?—Prosecutor— Your worship, I don't be quite sure about that same, because ye see that I didn't know what was in it.—( Much laughter.) Mr. WHITE—Now tell me the value of the property you have lost?—Prosecutor—There's the bed, and bad luck to me if it didn't cost me one pound ; and there's the box, and I don't know what that's worth ; and then (here the prosecutor gave a long list. Mr. WHITE—You hasn't reckoned your wife in the list ? Prosecutor—Oh, by the saint, I think she's worth nothing now, and so I missed her.—( Much laughter.) It appeared from the statement given by Mr. Moran, the inspector, that the prosecutor had been married twelve years to his faithless rib, and she and the prisoner had stripped the room, leaving two poor infants without even victuals or covering. Paddy Rourke, another labourer, was called as a witness and he said " It wasn't gentlemanly to stale a man's bed and his wife, and then say he'd bate her." Mr. WHITE committed the prisoner for trial. • SOMNAMBULISM EXTRAORDINARY.—On Mon day morning last, between two and three o'clock, the family of Mr. Niles, of this borough, were alarmed by the cries of their daughter Margaret, a fine girl about ten years of age. The servant proceeded to the bed in which she slept, and was astonished at not finding her there. The cries of the child were still heard, but not so distinctly as to ascertain where she was; at length, on searching the kitchen fire-place, the child's legs were seen upon the back of it, the rest of her body being up the chimney. After considerable difficulty she was released from her horrible situation, in a state better imagined than described. It appears she had got up in her sleep, and having climbed up the chimney, the falling of the soot awak ened her, and finding herself in such an unusual and horrible situation, she had screamed aloud. She is no worse, excepting the fright.—Sunderland Herald. There have been 75 cases of accidents taken to St. Bartholomew's dur'ng weLk, of said', 11 ) I '3" be. ii cruised bu g, and three facie 12 with tr,.ctuted limbs. A great portion of the accidents have arisen from drunkenness. SPA I1'(. ..-,.. MADRID, APRIL 14.—The following is a despatch from Ge neral Pardinas to the Minister of War, dated Urda (Toled o mountains), the 10th i ns t., an d published in an Extraordinary Gazette on Thursday last:— " Most excellent had the honour of .ZyPris in g y h o n . Excellency, in my c ommun i cat i on f rom Al can d e te, that I hopes of overtaki ng B as ili o an d d e f eat i ng hi m if ha waited for me, but th e cowar d soug h t sa f ety i n t h e most di s grAoef flight, and fin a lly di s p erse d hi s f orces so comp l ete ly that, a t_ though I divided my slender corps into two columns, I have only fallen in with insignificant groups of Carlists. " I know not if Brigadier Urbina has been more fortu nate, but I can assure your Excellency that the faction is completely . dispersed through the mountains. During fou r days' continual pursuit, in which we have day and night tra versed the most r ugge d p asses o f t h e mounta i ns, our rra rcil has been constantly directed by the recent footsteps of the enemy. Your Exceller.cy may form some idea of the lot of the soldiers of our country, who had not any day bread or wine.' nor any provisions save those taken from the enemy ; but their enthusiasm increased with their privations, and they only re gfetted that Basilio's cowardice prevented them from annihi latinghim. " His park of artillery and all his ammunition has fallen into our hands, besides a considerable number of prisoners and horses. Basilio w a nd er s th roug h t h e country w i t h a par ty of 20 men, and all the rest have dispersed in different directions " I anxiously wait your Excellency's orders, arid 0 211 strenuously endeavour to o bt a i n i n f ormat i on o f Fli nter ' s posi tion, and put myself in communication with him. God guar d your Excellency, &c. " RAMON PARDINAS. " Urda, April 10. 1838." " ARMY OF TIIE NORTH—SECOND DIVISION—STAFF. " Statement of the effects captured from Basilio this day one four-pounder, with its carriage ; two ammunition cars, with grape shot and balls ; 35 cases of ball cartridge ; tef ° bags of balls, and one of balls and cartridge mixed." Here we have Pardinas sending au express to Government announcing, as an important victory, the capture of a gun with some ammunition, and the subdivision of Basilio Garcia 'S expediticmary corps—a species of tactics adopted with the most complete success by the Spanish generals during the, Peninsular war, and i m i tate d i n t h e present day with equnt advantage by the Carlists of Catalonia, Valencia, and Lower Aragon. A park of artillery indeed 1 A miserable four-pounder. The despatch from Colonel Cuba, commanding the columw detached in pursuit of the expedition to Upper Aragon, con= tains intelligence of a more serious character. The Colonel states that he left Sadaba on the 4th, and came up with the Carlists on the 7th, close to the village of Yangues. The action commenced the same afternoon, and the Carlists were defeated with the loss of 20 officers and 300 soldiers who were made prisoners. A Catalonian expedition, detached by Tris tany to receive the convoy intended for that province, arrived at the Cinca on the 2d, and constructed a raft upon which they crossed the river, but as soon as they ascertained the de feat of Navaresse they returned homewards. One thing is certain as rezards Almaden. Repeated expe rience has proved that the Carlists can make themselves trkts' tern of that place whenever they choose. The last R ecoils° of Count Negri left him passing the night of the 11th a t A l ' cazaren, dye leagues S.S.E. of Valladolid, towards which city lie proposed to p rocee d t h e f o ll ow i ng d ay. G en era Iriarte arrived the same night at Las Navas de Coca, about six leagues in the rear o f N egr i. U p to t hi s hour (five o'clock) no further intelli gence h as b een rece i ve d f rom the Queen's commander. It is absolutely impossible to form 111 1 thing like a correct calculation of the plans of the expeditioga which, apparently, are guided altogether by circumstances. At a moment least expected, a report of a change, or no dification of the present Cabinet, circulated rapidly through the metropolis, and on Thursday last it was generally believed that Ofalia administration was broken up ; in fact the Premi er that day told his con fid ent i a l friends that he was no l on ger nister. The Opposition Press trumpeted forth this news il l ' great jubilee; the Ministerial journals, though silent at first'' afterwards expr esse d th e i r f ears t h at suc h an event was likely" to occur. For the present the actual cabinet appears to be firm, but I am, nevert h e l ess , o f op i n i on that i t cannot h o ld out another month. The state of the nation becomes each dal more precarious, and unless fortune smiles upon her Ala: jcsty'a arms, no Ministry can govern for more : than three Or months. A person belonging to the office of the Graduador bribed by the police, and delivered up the otieinals of several of the defam a t or y art i c l es t h at have been published in tuat. journal. It is said, I k now not w i t h w h at f oun d at i o n, tha t some of them arc in the hand-writing of persons about his Royal Highness the Infante Don Francisco, and it is •"" t said that sonic ma nuscr i pt notes o f t h e I n f ante an d hi s consort have been found. I have more than once called your attenn; ton to Don Franci sco ' s p arty i n t hi s country. Hi s partisa of are desirous that he should be appointed Regent in roo m Donna Christina, whom, in the offensive paper ahead,' T mhey tioned, they h ave a t tac k e d i n t h e grossest ma nner. f have endeavoured t o ren d er her Majesty odious in the c3•es the people, by q ua lifyi ng h er as an a b an d one d woma n, sway s d ~ in every resp ec t by a casnarilla oppressed to the progress_ oo liberty. Th e R egen t h a d i mme di ate i n t e lli gence o f the articleg f published in the Graduador, and found out that most of them were concocted in her sister's apartments. She sent for the Infanta, and requested her to be more circumspect, whiek would prevent her from having recourse to more ener getic measures. Her Highness replied, with a toss of the head, and said that she knew nothing of the articles in question, al though she did not refrain from denoting her satisfaction that they had wounded her Majesty's feelings. The Regent here- 4 , upon grew very angry, and made some very cutting remarks. The Infanta was not to be outdone, and, from word to word, it is stated that the most offensive epithets for a woman were bandied about by those royal personag es . D onna L ou i s a Car lotta was ordered by the Q ueea t o l eave t h e room ; a nd as she was closing the door she w a s h e ard t o sa y, " Though it be , but for a day, I shall command the de s ti n i es o f the nation. This disagreeable scene cos t th e R egen t a sever e indisposi tion ; and as soon as her sister left the apartment she fell into a swoon. She was afterwards bled, and is now quite reco vered. Their Royal Hi g h ness d eman d e d, fi rst , permission to go to Seville, and next to Catalonia, but the Queen re f us ed to • allow them to reside in an y o th er part o f S pa i n , excep t Madrid. She added, that if they wished to go abroad she would offer !to objection. It is now rep or t e d t h at t h ey propose to visit th e Pyrenees, and that they will very soon leave for Santander.r Morning Herald. HULL WORKING MENS' ASSOCIATION.--°" Wednesday evening, a public meeting of the Hull Working Mons' Association was held in the Freemason's Lodge, MY" tongate, which had reference to the return of the Dorchester labourers. A string of resolutions was moved by Mr. Wilson and seconded by M r . P awson , to t h e e ff ect t h at t h e m e et i hailed with delight a n d sat i s f act i on t h e sa f e return of their persecuted brethr e n f rom ex il e ; th at as th e m i g h t an d majesty of the working men o f th e metropo li s h a d b een exer ted oil behalf of these ilhused men, so it b e ca me th e duty of the working men of the pro v i nces t o g i ve t h em t h e s h out . of come nod the rigHt hand o f f e ll ows hi p on t h e i r return to their native land. The next reso l u ti on state d t h at t h e m eeting viewed these men as th e v i c ti ms o f a b a d government —" which , Whig-like, ever bloody and brutal,' s e i zes on th e poor, friendless, and the unwar y, w hil st i t l eaves r i c h an d t i t l e d vi lains to break the laws with impunity ; and we do hereby so lemnly denounce the Government that sent them into ex ile ' as traitors to the working classes of this country." The On" eluding resolution was, that the Dorchester labourers be in vited to visit Hull, in order that the working classes m ay hear their " story of woe" from themselves ; their expenses being . to be paid by the members of the Association. The m eeting was addressed by the mover and seconder of the res olution': by Lundy, Mr. C owen , an d a stranger; they were all unanimously carried, and the meeting separated. Rossini will, it is said, be the director of the new Italian Opera House at Paris. He is composing a new ope ra for its opening, in October next. T. COX SAVORY, Goldsmith, &c, 47, C 0 1131104 London ( Seven D oors f rom G racec h urch-street ), informs the Publi that he has fitted up THREE SHOW ROOMS expressly for the display of a large assortment of superior SILVER-L' DGED PLATED GOODS. He offers them at those low but fixed prices. Ivhich have been so successful in drawing public attention to the: WATCH, JEWELLERY, SILVER SPOON and FORK an d Silver branches of his trade. N.B. A pamphlet, containing a De tailed List of the Prices of Plate, Plated Goods, Watches, Cloelc 6 : • &c., may be had gratis, or will b e f orwar d e d i n answer t o a post paid application. BIRTHS. On the 21st inst., at Nelson-house, Kingsland, Mrs. Elmenhorstr of a boy. On the 20th inst., at Hilb orowe H a ll, N or f o lk , t h e l a dy of 1 1 - B. Caldwell, Esq., of a daughter. On the 22d inst., the lady of W m . L own d es, E sq., o f the BOY' Chesham, Buckinghamshire, of a son . On the 22d inst., Mrs. Joseph Anderson, o f Highbury-place, of a daughter. MARRIED. On the 19th inst., at Clitheroe, in Lancashire, by the Re'r• H. Anderton, John Leonard Hammond, Esq., of Kirby Hall, In the North Riding of Yorkshire, to Mary, e ld es t d au ghter of Joh n Aspinall, Esq., of Standen Hall , Lancashire. On the 24th inst., at Newport, Isle of Wi g ht, by the Rev. C. t Worsley, Mr. Thomas Broad, merchant, to Mary Anne, youni e i. daughter of the late Thomas White, E sq ., o f L ep l an d House, . I,l ' of Wight. DIED. On the 15th inst., at Summerlands, Falmouth, aged 74, WW' Tesler Coope, Esq., Deputy Commissary-General. in On the 22d inst., in Tredegar-square, Captain Hugh Cathre, his 53d year. On the 21st inst., Mr. Chaplin, of the New Kent-road, aged 77 a On the 22d inst., Elizabeth Mary, only daughter of Eclmuo Taverner, Esq., aged 6. On the 20th inst., in York-place, City-road, Mr. James Fenn/ aged 80. On the 22d i ns t., M r. J o h n B artrop, o f C raw f or d street, Mon tague-square, aged 60. On the 21st inst., at Tonbridge Wells, Nathaniel Hardcastle, Esq., of Raymead, near Maidenhead, aged 44. On the 22d inst., Clifford, infant son of C. Craufurd, Esq., 0 f Doddington-grove, Kennington. On the 21st i ns t., W m . C row dy, Esq., of We s trop House , WO worth, Wilts, aged 57. On L On the 18th i ns t., age d 41, M r . Meadows Taylor, of Stars ton, near Harleston, Norfolk. i t e h u e t. R.N 111 o r., tla a k g e e , d Diary Alicia, daughter o f the late At Delhi, on the 17th of January, aged 22, Lieut. W. E. Rees , of the Engineers. l'cithezt and Published by YOUNG, of 112, Strand, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the entlati of Middlesex.--Wednesday, April 25, 1838.